Feast Your Eyes on the Hungry Garden from Puppetry NOW Artist Poncili Creación
Experience the Colorful and Exuberant Performances and Art Installment of Puppetry NOW Artist Poncili Creación
ATLANTA (June 2023) – The Center for Puppetry Arts is excited to announce the return of Puppetry NOW for its second year. Puppetry NOW is a Center initiative that spotlights the work of contemporary artists and puppeteers of color. The 2023 featured artists are identical twin brothers, Pablo and Efrain Del Hierro from Santurce, Puerto Rico, who comprise the art collective, Poncili Creación. The Center will display a special exhibition of Poncili Creación’s work in the Dean DuBose Smith Special Exhibition Gallery from July 6-October 29. Poncili Creación will also perform two versions of their Hungry Garden puppet show: Hungry Garden for families from July 6-9 at 12:00 p.m. and Hungry Garden: After Darkfor Ages 18+ from July 6-9 at 7:30 p.m.
The Poncili brothers coined the name “Poncili Creación” in 2012 to celebrate their art collective, highlighting creativity and accessibility through large-scale puppetry, dance, improvisation, and performance.
“Poncili Creación is a description of how we feel about our work and about what our work represents. It’s basically a duality, and specifically, it means chaotic tranquility” – Pablo Del Hierro,
Known for their creative and improvisational approach to puppetry, Poncili Creación’s work is inspired by nature, the human condition, and how both can create new entities and break the status quo. Additionally, Poncili Creación incorporates themes of dreams, life, death, and the human condition through biology into their installations, which is what led them to incorporate puppetry into their art.
“Using materials such as foam in puppetry was transformative for our work because it helped us expand the ways in which we could use materials to better portray our ideas in new and thrilling ways. We also like to recycle things we find around us and will often use materials we already have on hand or items we find out in the world.” – Efrain Del Heirro
Puppetry NOW allows the Center to highlight contemporary artists with limited representation in our historical collections. Through an annual solo exhibition and collecting efforts, the initiative provides space and support to puppeteers and artists of color, while increasing the museum’s connection to modern puppetry. Launched in 2022, Puppetry NOW previously showcased Tarish “Jeghetto” Pipkins, whose puppetry was featured in Missy Elliott’s “WTF (Where They From)” music video, with his art collective “5P1N0K10,” a production and art installation that combined plywood marionettes, music, emceeing, and video on location at the Center for Puppetry Arts.
Poncili Creación’s special museum exhibition will run from July 6-October 29 and is included in admission into the Worlds of Puppetry Museum and All-Inclusive Performance tickets for any Family Series performance. Click here to learn more.
The following are show dates and times for performances of Hungry Garden (all ages):
Thursday, July 6th, 2023 at 12:00 p.m.
Friday, July 7th, 2023 at 12:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 8th, 2023 at 12:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 9th, 2023 at 12:00 p.m.
Click here to purchase tickets to Hungry Garden (all ages)
The following are show dates and times for performances of Hungry Garden: After Dark (Adults 18+)
Thursday, July 6th, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 7th, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 8th, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 9th, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
Click here to purchase tickets to Hungry Gardens: After Dark (Adults 18+) *Content Warning: Adult improvisational theater. Performance may contain depictions of sex, violence, and non-human nudity.
Center for Puppetry Arts® is a unique cultural treasure – a magical place where children and adults are educated, enlightened, and entertained. Since 1978, the Center has introduced millions of visitors to the wonder and art of puppetry and has touched the lives of many through enchanting performances, curriculum-based workshops, and the hands-on Museum as well as Digital Learning and Outreach programs. Center for Puppetry Arts is a non-profit, 501(c) (3) organization and is supported in part by contributions from corporations, foundations, government agencies, and individuals. Major funding is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners and the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. These programs are also supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. GCA is a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. The Center is a member of Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA/USA/ASSITEJ). The Center also serves as the headquarters of UNIMA-USA, the American branch of Union Internationale de la Marionnette, the international puppetry organization.